Police Chief Goes By The Book To Shape Up Force

April 7, 1985

Sentinel: What is the most difficult part of taking over this job as police chief?

Learning the rules and regulations and how the budget works, where the accounts are, where the zones are. Just learning the routines was the most difficult for me. I say difficult -- all of it tends to be generally the same everywhere.

Q: In a situation such as this, how do you go about bringing about a smooth operation?

A: There are some sensitive areas that you just deal with: responsibilities, establishing a staff and creating a continuance of decision- making. You get in touch with people who can help you make those kinds of decisions. The people you select are the ones who are responsible for the eventual application on the street. It isn't my purpose to tell the officers how to go out and operate on the street. It is my purpose to sit down with my staff and decide the direction we're going to operate and pass that on to them.

Q: What was the first thing you did when you took over?

A: I took home the rules and regulations book, the city policy book, the budget. I took home the files that were available to me in reference to the operations of the agency.

Q: What was the most important single thing you had to do when you took over?

A: Understand the operation. The end result out on the street is the same whether it's a big city or little city, anywhere. It's how you transfer the information from here to the other end (officer), and that's what I had to learn. I couldn't force it (operation of department) into my mold. That isn't my purpose here. I want to leave as little of me here as I can. My purpose is to create a stabilized situation so the people who are here can continue to serve uninterrupted and with direction. My purpose here is not to create a position for myself.

Q: What qualms did you have when you were asked to take this position?

A: None. I was in the Orlando Police Department for 25 years and have been teaching for the last eight years. This very thing -- organization, decision- making, budget control, motivation -- all of those things are relevant to a modern police agency. It was a challenge and has been that.

Q: There have been remarks made that you are short several officers. If this is so, how many short? What problems does this create?

A: You have to understand that we aren't short of officers. We tend to be short on the top of the agency. Probably if one understands that management exists to help labor get its job done, the most important part of it is delivery of police service on the streets. And we have most of that in place. We're short I think eight or 10 people all together, from the top on down.

I have organized a recruiting system approved by the city that is in place. We've had a bunch of applicants here that want jobs. Out of that group we probably will hire seven or eight people. We have steps we take to ensure that we are getting qualified people.

Q: You probably had some ideas of your own. Have you introduced these into your management?

A: I mentioned we now have a series of steps for entry into the agency. That has always been of interest to me, to make proper determination of how to get into a police agency (police department). So I have instituted a new set of regulations in that area. I have created a new control system for entering, preserving and eventually disposing of material we have. I have created a new simplified internal disciplinary type of control pertaining to citizens complaints and how they should be handled.

I have instituted some minor alterations as to the use of excessive force. Anytime you use excessive force or discharge a weapon, or use your night stick, inherent in that situation is liability and problems that should be addressed while the issue is fresh. I've set into motion -- more paper flow than anything else -- the requirement that it (situations of excessive force) funnel through this office and the staff.

At least while I'm here I will be informed as to what happens. There were some guidelines in effect, I just expanded them slightly. I also changed the method of application. I thought that the decision to use handcuffs here wasn't as well-defined as it should be. So I've asked that they not be used on injured people, mental patients and juveniles and have asked them to use flex cuffs (an adhesive type binding material used as a restraint) on those three classes of people.

Q: When an officer is on the spot and has to fire a weapon, what guidelines do you have?